


I Will Return

by Anorien



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, baby!Legolas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2013-07-17
Packaged: 2017-12-20 12:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/887523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anorien/pseuds/Anorien





	1. Chapter 1

_Scribble scribble scribble_.

  
The golden-haired Elfling was working restlessly on a drawing. His small stick of graphite hadn't been put aside all evening. Celendriel looked on and smiled at her youngest son. She then looked to Haldir, who was sitting across from her on the opposing settle. He stared aimlessly up at the ceiling. He had once been a lively child, busy with drawing and asking questions and running about. But now he was almost of age. Haldir had other things on his mind.

  
 _Scribble scribble scribble_.

  
"What are you making, ionneg?" Celendriel asked, smiling gently. Legolas moved his tiny arms to cover the drawing.  
"It's not done yet," he told her. His mother nodded, and he went back to work.  
A half of an hour passed, as the three sat together, Haldir and Celendriel taking to tea. Footsteps could be heard in the corridor outside the sitting room.

  
 _Scribble scribble scribble_.

  
"Amme," Haldir said at last. Thranduil stood in the threshold, an almost sombre look upon his fair face. The queen stood and walked over to meet him. Haldir looked up, and Thranduil gave him a nod, allowing him to come over and listen.  
"Hello, Ada!" Legolas said, smiling and waving to his father. Thranduil beamed back at the Elfling. It seemed that no matter the occasion he was always happy to see his parents. It warmed the hearts of both the king and queen. But Thranduil turned his attention back to his wife and eldest son.  
"Celendriel," he said, lowering his voice so that Legolas wouldn't hear, "a host of goblins has been seen near the north-east border. Close to Esgaroth."  
"Esgaroth?" she asked. It was a rare thing for goblins to travel so far north, especially near Erebor. Thranduil nodded. The queen's heart sank a bit. She knew what it would mean.  
"I am sorry," her husband said to her. "but I must assess the situation. I would not go if I was not needed."  
"I know," Celendriel said, smiling gently. "You are king. You have your duties to our people."  
"I'll go with you," Haldir said, stepping forward. But Thranduil shook his head.  
"No, Haldir, you will stay."  
"But Father-"  
"Please," Thranduil said gently. He despised argument, especially with his sons, and took care not to frighten Legolas. "I understand you wish to aid me. I appreciate it. But for now, you must stay here." Haldir spoke no further.  
Legolas stopped drawing for a moment and turned to look at his parents and brother. Quietly he stood and walked up behind Celendriel, tugging gently at her skirt. She turned and looked down at him.  
"Are you leaving, Ada?" he asked quietly. Thranduil and Celendriel felt pain in their hearts. Legolas was still young, but he was old enough to know when something was amiss.  
"I'm afraid so," Thranduil said, looking sympathetically at the Elfling. "But I won't be leaving until morning."  
Legolas blinked, then walked forward to hug his father. He was still very small, and his father of tall stature, so his little arms could only hug around his leg. The king crouched down and pulled the boy close to him.  
"It won't be long," he said, stroking the soft golden hair, "I promise you." The young prince nodded, still holding onto his father.

 

 

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Author's Note

 

 Good heavens, it's been how long? Four months since I last posted a fic? Well, I finally got back into writing. Hooray for updates! And hooray for more little!Legolas and the Royal Family as a whole!

I was originally going to make this just one fic, but it became longer and longer, so it will be divvied up into multiple chapters, for organization's sakes. 

 

  * I know I've mentioned this before, but for those who are new here, I created a headcanon many years ago where Haldir is Legolas' older brother. Also, Celendriel is an OC, and is Thranduil's wife.



 

 


	2. Chapter 2

"There you are," Thranduil said, smiling as he finished tucking Legolas into bed. The Elfling smiled back at his father, but it quickly faded.  
"Where are you going, Ada?" he asked. Thranduil sat on the side of the bed, placing a hand over his son's.   
"I have to go to the border," he said gently. "Our people there need me."  
A worried look came over Legolas' face.   
"You aren't going to fight the spiders, are you, Ada?" he whispered. Thranduil shook his head.   
"No, Legolas," he replied, "I am not going to fight the spiders. The spiders are in the south. I'm going north-east." The prince nodded.  
After a moment, Legolas sat up.  
"I have something for you!" he said, pulling open a drawer on his bedside table. Thranduil looked on curiously as the tiny hands reached down, pulling out a leather cord. A small acorn hung on it, and Legolas handed it to his father.  
"An acorn?" the king said, cocking his head, confused.  
"One of the wood-workers helped me make it!" Legolas said proudly. He pointed to the acorn. "They fall from the heavens."  
"Do they now?" Thranduil said, smiling. He knew from when Haldir, and from his own youth, that children do not understand the ways of the world, and he felt that their explanations for the way things are was a thing of beauty.  
"Yes," Legolas went on. "They fall from the sky, and Mum said that the things from the sky come from the heavens." Thranduil's smile widened. Some years prior, when he was being taught to speak, Legolas had confused 'mother' and 'amme', and simply called his mother "Mum". He had referred to her as such ever since.  
"Well, she isn't wrong."  
"Good things come from the heavens," the elfling said matter-of-factly. "If you wear it, it will protect you."  
Thranduil stared at his son for a moment, then glanced at the acorn. Undoing the knot, he hung the necklace around his neck and tied the cord again. He looked back to his son.  
"In that case, I shall wear this until I return." Legolas smiled and hugged his father's arm.

  
***

  
"I finished it!" Legolas said, showing his mother the drawing he had been working on so diligently. Celendriel sat at the edge of the bed, where her husband was a few moments prior, and looked at the picture. It showed a tall Elf with a sword in his hand, fighting a monstrous spider.  
"This is wonderful, darling!" Celendriel said, grinning. "What are those?" she asked, pointing to some smaller creatures behind the spider.  
"Those are Orcs," said Legolas proudly. "And that's Ada!" He pointed to the Elf.  
"I see that," his mother replied, studying the drawing. "This is beautiful, Legolas," she said, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. The young Elf smiled and placed the drawing on his bedside table. He laid back down, and his mother pulled the blankets over him.  
"I wish Ada didn't have to go," he said quietly. Celendriel sighed.  
"So do I," she said, petting her son's golden hair, "But he must do his duties as king. And he will return in a few days."  
"I know. But I still wish he could stay." Legolas was young, but already very intelligent, even for an Elf of his age. He knew very well his father would return. Yet tales of orcs and spiders and other monsters still plagued his young mind. He would have nightmares at times when Thranduil was away, and would seek the comfort of his mother's arms in the middle of the night. Celendriel didn't mind letting her sons sleep in her bed. But as a mother it broke her heart to see them frightened. Haldir was older, and therefore braver and more understanding of his father's leaving. But Legolas was a child still, and as precocious as he was, still could not fully understand the duties his father had as king.   
"I know, sweet one."  
"Can we say goodbye to him before he leaves?"  
"Of course we can." Celendriel kissed his forehead again. "Now get some rest, Legolas." The tiny Elfling rolled onto his side, and soon fell into a peaceful sleep. 

 

 

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Author's Note:

 

Chapter two!

I have to say, I absolutely adore writing baby!Legolas. He's easily one of my favorite things to write about. Children have such interesting views on the world, and like Thranduil, I find it beautiful.

I imagine that Thranduil and Celendriel would, when the boys were young, take turns saying goodnight to them. 

I know these chapters are rather short, but there will be several of them before the story is complete. I hope to finish the entire fic within the next two weeks, so keep checking back!


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